Section of Galle lawyers boycott anti-impeachment protest

Mahinda P. Liyanage- Galle Daily News Correspondent

A section of Galle lawyers refrained from taking part in the protest
launched by the Galle Lawyers’ Association against the alleged unfair
investigation into the impeachment charges against Chief Justice Dr.
Shirani Bandaranayake yesterday, following a divided resolution adopted
at its Special General Meeting on Monday.

Stranded
members of the public at the Galle Fort Court complex

At the very inception of the meeting a section of members of the
Galle Lawyers’ Association pointed out that the convening of the special
general meeting was unconstitutional owing to the short notice given to
the membership to participate it. They further charged that the meeting
had been convened following a hasty decision of the Association’s
Secretary on a written request to 30 members on the morning of the day
of the meeting itself giving only a few hours for the membership to
participate in the meeting resulting in poor attendance.

However, taking a decision with the majority’s approval the
Association’s President had continued the meeting as scheduled.

The first move advocating the impartial and constitutional removal of
any judge proved guilty of any kind of misconduct was unanimously
adopted while the second proposal to launch a token trade union action
by abstaining from legal activities for one and half hours from 9.00 am
yesterday was passed by majority approval.

The third move to launch a two day trade union action on December 11
and 12 in protest of alleged prejudicial investigation into charges
against the Chief Justice under the present Impeachment was also adopted
with a majority. A fourth resolution in respect of the appointment of
judges of the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court was also adopted by a
majority.

Most significantly the meeting’s final resolution to abstain from all
court activities until the withdrawal of all charges against the Chief
Justice in the Impeachment was vetoed by the majority who demanded the
unprejudiced and constitutional inquiry into all charges against the CJ.

Nevertheless the public who had come to the magistrate, district and
high courts at Galle Fort Court for litigation were disappointed due to
unnoticed trade union action of the lawyers.

The judges of all courts who resumed duties as usual called all cases
on the roll and postponed them giving short dates as there was no
appearance in courts by the majority of lawyers.